The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1887-08-03
TROPHIES OF TIE VAR.
- \ GLANCE AT CAPTURED CoNFE.EI;-
ATE FLAGS AT WASHINGTON


OF Lost Cause-Banners of SILK and
Banners Of Tatters--aow the Flags are
kept in the War Department.
Letter to the New York WoriG.)
WASHINGTON, July 29.-Yesterday n
walking through the immense granite
pile of the State, War and Navy Depart
ments, was taken with the curiosity to
see the battle flags which have set the
countryHin an uproac. Tanning to tbe
right from the main corridor Q! TIE
building on the second floor, / entered
the commodious apartments OF the Ad-
iutant Generals Office, and found myself
confronting at corner desk II one 0!
the rooms, rather Statured man, o.
well-fed form and placid lace, with his
coat off like an ordinary clerk, bending
to his work, alternately mopping the
heat from his forehead and signing o.
aers. This individual looked as little as
possible like kindEng the memories OF a
great rebellion or stsrting the worl2 on
flame IN any quarter. The heat CT the
day seemed al sufficient for his energies.
All the same, it was General Daum,
Adjutant General OF the United States
Army, whose autograph on q slip OF
paper addressed to Mr.. Cleveland q few
weeks ago, and recommended the G,strl-
button over the country OF varletT OF
tattered bunting IL the garnet OF the
War Office, set the country by the ears
and is likely to play a considerable role
in coming campaign for en American
President. [ had been told that Adju-
tant General Drum was extremely s2nsl-
tive to the inquiries OF visitors conccrn-
ing this same bunting. l vas agrcctbly
surprised, therefore, on informing tbs
gentleman that had witaassec! IL the
old days Of the rebellion the spectacle OF
the arrival of many OF these flags IL the
War Department, fresh from tie battle
fields on which they were captured, and
of my wish to again inspect them, a. be-
ing met with the biandcst of Smiles ..nd
promptly pat il charge Of an att@n''ant
with Instructions 10 aid my mission.
Carried by an elevator tive stories up,
under the roof OF the War Department,
almost burning il this Washington an
ner weather, the KEY being tUrrec; by
my guide in the door OF aN attic roo3n,
stood an instant later IL . little sPAce
hardly more than ten feet square, n@&rIy
within reaching distance on al sides oI
these battered memcntos OF the war, Tie
very mention of which has set atirc the
.learts of sixty millions OF peopl2-a Few
rags saturated witt: The explosive wash
of patriotism! But the Grst thought on
seeing them in this pent up spac" OF
attic IS Of the snallness Of the cause to
the size Of the effect. The flags he%2ed
about the room appear at inst s,2lIt only
q handful at the most, bat counted s2pa-
rately there are $50 in all, over i've hun
dred of them being Confederate an< the
remainder Federal flags recaptrlred iiom
Sheir captors. One half Of the e:ltre
number are attached TO their slaves as
as they were originally taken. the !iags
Of the two sections being stacket. n
separate masses against two sides CT the
room, facing the other half folded and
proSsading from pigeon holes on the oD-.;;
Dosite walls. The sight of the stars and
Stripes keeps always familiar. But the
first look at the dark red heap Of the
banners Of rebellion, piled here against
the side of the attic, blots Out twenty
five years from the memory and brings
back as if it were yesterday. the red years
when they waved at the head Of their
regiments. There is hardly flag among
them ell that has not its history record
ed in the book il the hands OF the keep
er of the room. Nearly all are riddled
with bullets, and many, Ike those car
ried through such battles as the Wider
ness and the second Bull Run, were shot
literally into tatters and almost IN
recognizable sprays of rag.
The contrast in the appearance OF the
Southern and Union standards IS slgnti-
cant of the history of the war. The lat
ter are rugged on clean polished poles
and are Of firm, rich material, many OF
them of silk, showing an abundance IL
the North OF the fabrics CT which they
continued to be made. The majority OF
the Confederate flags are OF the wretch
est shoddy bunting, miserable In color,
as in substance, while great numbers OF
them are mounted on rude, Embarked
eads and saplings, hastily cut from the
woods on the march-recalling the
blockade and the pinching days when
war had fallen on a section without
manufactures, and the intense, desperate
purpose of a people forgot seemiiness
and absorbed every thought but tic yin
ming of their fights.
e a., t1s-> fNtIa2 fh..